New App Recap: August 4, 2014

We're back with another eclectic mix of apps this week, including a couple of new ways to call or message others, updates to a trio of streaming and informational apps, and some impressive ways to save time and keep tabs on your small business expenses. Time to fire up the App Store and take this week's lineup for a spin!

We've all got stuff that needs to get done, and Timeful (free, iPhone) promises to help get it done more efficiently. Billed as "the first intelligent time assistant," Timeful takes the best of calendar and to-do apps, adding behavioral learning skills to help more efficiently plan each day based on how much time is available in your schedule. Events can be even be "sidelined" for later.

Plex 3.5 ($4.99, universal) hit the App Store last week, complete with two features most requested by users. Premium licensed trailers can now be called up on demand by long-pressing on titles, or streamed prior to watching your favorite movies, while music and video playlists add the ability to queue up content however you'd like, including smart playlists based on genre, collection, and other filters.

Tracking auto mileage is mandatory if you run a small business, and EasyBiz Plus ($2.99, iPhone) looks like one of the best ways to do just that. Employees and freelancers can make short work of this often-unpleasant task with an award-winning UI and tax compliant exports in CSV or Excel format. Featuring multi-vehicle tracking and analytics, EasyBiz also includes Google Drive backup support.

Officially now part of the Apple fold, Beats Music 2.2.0 (free, universal) recently added the ability to change favorite genres and artists with a new settings option called Tune Your Taste, view recently-played songs in The Sentence, confirm that a profile is the real artist with verified badges, and squashes a lot of random bugs for smoother, more reliable playback.

If you've ever longed for the digital equivalent of a message in a bottle, Fling (free, iPhone) aims to answer your prayers. Photos, videos, or texts can be tossed out into the world, where up to 50 random strangers can receive your missive and opt to initiate a conversation with you. And hey, maybe you'll even make a new friend or two in the process!

Ever wish you could turn your print books into e-books? BitLit (free, iPhone) makes that dream a reality for more than 10,000 titles from a wide ranger of smaller publishers. Just snap a photo of your book cover, then write your name on the copyright page and snap a second image to claim an e-book version for free (or "highly discounted") that works on iPad, Kindle, Nook, or Kobo devices.

With more than 32 million articles in 280 languages, Wikipedia Mobile 4.0 (free, universal) now features a complete overhaul of the iOS app that promises to be faster than ever. Featuring a table of contents sidebar for quicker navigation and the ability to log in and edit Wikipedia entries while on the go, the free encyclopedia looks better than ever on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Would you like a little privacy with your phone calls? Signal (free, iPhone) promises end-to-end encryption to keep prying ears from listening in while making or receiving calls from your normal phone number. The free, open-source app uses Wi-Fi or cellular data instead of the voice minutes included with your monthly plan, while keeping a handy log of all the calls you've made.